Career Development Learning and Employability in Higher Education: Contexts, Concepts and Challenges

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Career Development Learning and Employability in
Higher Education Contexts, Concepts and
Challenges

• Tony Watts

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Employability

• Responds to students motivations
• Responds to policy concerns
• Can reinforce rather than undermine wider
  academic values

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Definitions

• Immediate employment
• Immediate employability
• Sustainable employability requires attention to
  career development learning

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Terminology

• Career(s) education (e.g. DOTS)
• Career management skills (e.g. Hawkins)
• Career development learning

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Strategies

• Specific modules
• - Generic
• - Customised
• - Bespoke
• More general cross-curricular integration
• Outside the curriculum

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Strategic Directions for HE Careers Services

• Integrated guidance model
• Integrated placement model
• Curriculum model
• Learning organisation model
• Extended-support model
• Lifelong guidance model
• Alumni model

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Possible Implications

• Restructuring careers service as an academic
  rather than student service?
• Separate teaching unit for career development
  learning?

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Delivery Models

• Specialist
• Consultancy
• Parallel delivery
• Integrated

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Staff Requirements

• Pedagogic knowledge and skills
• Strong grounding in career development theory
• Academic empathy